Feasibility study of erythrocyte long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content and mortality risk in hemodialysis patients.
OBJECTIVE
Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) are increasingly believed to be cardioprotective. We tested the hypothesis that erythrocyte n-3 PUFA levels, as measured by the omega-3 index (O3I), are inversely related to mortality in hemodialysis patients.


METHODS
This was a retrospective study of 93 prevalent urban American hemodialysis patients with baseline n-3 PUFA blood levels.


METHODS
The mortality rate was measured over a median period of 755 days.


RESULTS
The median omega-3 index was 4.69 mean weight %. During follow-up, 19 patients died, and 8 underwent renal transplantation. The probability of survival was significantly greater in patients with an O3I above the median (P = .025). Univariate analyses found that increasing age and a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index were associated with reduced survival, whereas a higher O3I and black race were linked with greater survival. In a multivariate model, only the Charlson Comorbidity Index score clearly predicted mortality (hazard ratio, 1.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.62), though a protective trend was observed with an O3I above the median (hazard ratio, 2.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.88 to 6.95).


CONCLUSIONS
Though this modest-sized study did not find a statistically significant relationship between erythrocyte n-3 PUFA levels and mortality, an inverse association was suggested. The existence of such a relationship will need to be confirmed in cohorts with greater statistical power.
Friedman
Allon N
AN
Division of Nephrology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA.
Saha
Chandan
C
Watkins
Bruce A
BA
D000367:Age Factors; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015897:Comorbidity; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018401:Sample Size; D015996:Survival Rate
D015415:Biomarkers; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3